


Promises, Promises

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-20
Updated: 2013-06-20
Packaged: 2017-12-15 13:18:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/849987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The time was coming for her to forge her own way in the world.  Having someone by her side as she did it made the prospect more exciting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Promises, Promises

**Author's Note:**

> This story is written in the Life Unexpected universe, where the characters are teenagers.

“I got you something.”

“Did you? Give it to me; gimme.”

“Seriously?” Tom raised an eyebrow as he looked at his girlfriend. “Do you talk to your mother with that mouth?”

“Not if I don’t want to get popped.” Elizabeth replied smiling.

“I would never pop you. Well, maybe on your butt but I suspect you’d like that a lot.”

“Yeah, I would. What did you get for me?”

They were walking to Elizabeth’s house after leaving a café. It was Saturday night and Tom took her to the movies. They saw The King’s Speech and then went out for coffee and dessert. It was a rainy, cold night in December. Christmas was right around the corner. 

Rain had been falling in New York City on and off for three days. Elizabeth hated too many days of rain. She never liked to be off her game but it depressed her. Hearing about a present, especially from the boy she loved, perked her up.

“I was supposed to wait until Christmas but I admit that I can't.”

“You usually have better resolve than that Tom.” She tightened her arm around him as they stopped at a red light. “I'm surprised.”

“When it comes to you there is no such thing as resolve.”

“I'm going to take that as a positive.”

He smiled and kissed her temple. Tom knew what this weather did to Elizabeth even though she tried to hide it. There wasn’t much she could hide from him. A lot of his friends laughed at him, and sometimes his family scoffed, but she was the love of his life. From the moment Tom met Elizabeth he just knew. 

She put him off as long as she could but soon realized that she felt just as strongly as he did. Elizabeth was easy to love, just hard to get to know. She could erect walls and wires higher than a maximum security prison. She held steadfast to a game face that was difficult to break. Tom wasn’t trying to break her; he just wanted to love her.

“What do you want for Christmas?” he asked.

“The holiday is in two weeks. Tell me you haven’t gotten me anything yet.”

“I'm just making conversation. I know you always have something you really want.”

“I'm not telling you.” she said smiling.

“You're evil.”

“That’s what I hear. Tell me what you bought for me, Tom. Don’t keep me in suspense.”

“I’ll give it to you as soon as we get to your house. It’s cold out here; we shouldn’t stop walking.”

“We could’ve taken a cab.” Elizabeth said. “We didn't have to walk. It’s a half a mile.”

“I like walking with you. With this rainy weather we’ve all been trapped in the house or at school the past couple of days. Cold or not, fresh air is nice.”

“Well my parents went to a charity auction at the Waldorf tonight so I'm home alone.”

“When are they coming back?” Tom asked.

“I have no idea.”

“I could stay and keep you company. My parents said I could have until 11:30.”

“I’d like that.” Elizabeth nodded. She cuddled closer to him under the big umbrella that Tom carried. “I could build a fire and we can just relax together.”

“One day when we have our own home I'm definitely going to make sure there are plenty of fireplaces. We've had some very special times by them.”

“You felt me up for the first time in Bethany Wallace’s library at that silly party. We were sitting by her fireplace eating a bag of candy and drinking Bacardi Silvers. I remember it quite vividly.”

“They say a girl never forgets her first time.” Tom said.

“Oh my God that was not the first time I’d been felt up by an overeager boy.” She laughed.

“Let me have my fantasy please.”

“Tom, it doesn’t matter if you weren't my first. You're my last. I just don’t want you to wake up one day when you're like 50 and regret only being with me.”

“It won't happen.” he shook his head.

“Are you sure? You could decide to quit your job, grow your hair long, get a motorcycle, and a 22 year old underwear model girlfriend.”

“Where do you get those thoughts from?”

“You wouldn’t be the first man.” Elizabeth replied in a matter of fact tone.

“I love you Elizabeth. I've loved you from the moment I saw you. I’ll love you when you get crow’s feet and things start to droop…or whatever else happens when a woman ages. The best part is that I will be aging too.”

“Oh God, take that back. I am never going to get crow’s feet.”

She did the sign of the cross and that made Tom laugh. Then he took it back.

“I’d get an Aston-Martin by the way.” He said. “If I go through the midlife crisis, it’s the Aston-Martin all the way.”

“You might actually look cute with your hair a little longer.” Elizabeth replied. “Not too long but maybe like Mick Jagger in the 60s. Just don’t get some young girlfriend and I think we’ll make it through.”

“You're the one who likes them younger, not me.” Tom laughed, tightening his arm around her as they walked down the street.

***

“I didn’t forget about my gift.”

“Oh heaven forbid.” Tom laughed.

They were sitting on Elizabeth’s couch in front of the fire. While it was cold outside it was nice and warm in her living room. The television was on; classic music videos or something. Elizabeth didn’t pay it much mind. She was glad that Tom was there and she was in his arms. 

Her parents were gone a lot…off living the cosmopolitan New York lifestyle. The Prentisses were in every important circle. They hobnobbed with politicians, artists, and scholars. That didn’t leave a lot of time to spend with their only child. 

Elizabeth never told people that she could get lonely. She loved her parents and there were times when they were happy to take her on their adventures. The time was coming for her to forge her own way in the world. Having someone by her side as she did it made the prospect more exciting.

“C'mon, we’re home now…you don’t have to be so secretive.” She smiled.

“Can I at least get my little speech out first?” he asked. Tom turned to rest against the arm of the couch and looked at her.

“Ooh, you prepared a speech. I like it already. Go on, do the speech.”

Tom smiled and took a deep breath. Then he cleared his throat. He didn’t know why he was so nervous but he was. It wasn’t as if he’d never given Elizabeth a gift before. He actually showered her with gifts; little things that he knew she would love. She did the same for him. They just liked to make each other happy.

“I don’t think I need to tell you how much I love you but I will anyway. Less than 9% of people marry their high school sweetheart so it might seem as if the odds are against us. I'm not going to let the numbers be our story. One day I'm going to buy you a big rock that you can show off to all of your friends. Right now I just want to give you something to let you know what you mean to me and what this relationships means.”

He took the box from his coat pocket beside him and handed it to Elizabeth. She smiled, looked at him as she opened it. It was a ring. It was a beautiful amethyst ring surrounded by diamonds. No, it wasn’t a rock but that didn’t make it any less beautiful.

“Oh my god Tom, are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“It’s so…” Elizabeth put her hand on her chest to catch her breath. “Wow.”

“My mother dragged me antiquing in Connecticut; she was looking for the perfect Christmas gift for my grandmother. We’d been to a thousand stores and I was ready to cry in defeat. We walked into the last store. When I saw it I knew you had to have it.”

“It’s an antique? Was it very expensive?”

She wasn’t asking in the usual Elizabeth way, as she liked things that cost a lot of money. She just didn’t want him going broke as a high school junior. Yes, Elizabeth Prentiss liked the finer things in life. But she and Tom had plenty of time to get all of those things for themselves.

“What it cost doesn’t matter,” he replied. “Only that you like it.”

“Tom…”

“Shh,” he placed a gentle finger on her lips. “Do you like it?”

“I love it.”

It was beautiful. Elizabeth had a lot of great jewelry that her parents and loved ones bought for her. This was going to be her new favorite piece. The amethyst was nicely sized, the diamonds surrounding it much smaller but that didn’t matter to her. Tom loved her. Elizabeth knew that already but this ring was one of the concrete representations of it.

He loved the way she smiled. Tom spent a pretty penny on the ring; his mother wasn’t pleased about the purchase. The money was his though and he wanted to buy something beautiful for the girl he loved. Seeing her face, he knew it was the right decision. Tom leaned to kiss her lips.

“Do you want to put it on?” he asked.

“Yes.” She nodded and held out her left hand.

“No Lids, give me your right hand.”

“What? An engagement ring goes on your left hand.”

“It’s not an engagement ring. It’s a promise ring and when the time comes for something with a bit more sparkle, I don’t want you to have to give this up.”

“That’s an excellent plan.” Elizabeth held out her right hand and put her left hand down.

The ring was a perfect fit and she knew she wasn’t going to be able to stop looking at it for quite a while.

“You're the best boyfriend ever.” She put her arms around him. “I hope you know that.”

“I've heard tale.” Tom grinned.

“We still have an hour to ourselves before you have to leave to make it home on time.” She kissed his lips. “I have something on my mind that will properly fill that space.”

“I do love when you talk so matter of fact about sex.”

Elizabeth laughed as she bounced up from the couch. Holding out her hands, she reached for Tom and he took both of them. She already knew how tonight was going to end. She knew on Tuesday evening when they made the plans. 

Elizabeth loved sex; she especially loved it with Tom. He wasn’t her first but would definitely be her last. It didn’t matter that the odds weren’t in their favor. She was a Prentiss…odds were for everyone else. This happiness was all hers.

***


End file.
